Hands As Soft As Your Heart
by pandorabox82
Summary: Alex brings home news that one of her students has a crush on her, and Erin cannot help but be curious and a little jealous of the girl. Yet Alex knows of the perfect way to placate her partner.


Alex smiled as she stretched, wriggling her fingers as she let out a wide yawn. From the corner of her eye, she saw that Erin was watching her carefully, and she made certain to arch her back a little more, causing her sweater to ride up her torso, revealing a thin line of her stomach. "It's still pretty nice out, do you want to take a walk around the block with me?"

Erin stuck an envelope into her book, setting it aside on the table as she gazed up into her eyes. "That sounds nice, Lexie," she said as she held out her hand expectantly. Alex raised an eyebrow at her, and Erin smiled as she waved her hand at her. "Please?"

Letting out a little huff of breath, Alex went over to her side and took hold of her hand and pulled her to her feet, holding on tightly as they went over to the front door. "Do you need your jacket? It's a bit cool out this evening." Erin nodded, but Alex took note of the fact that she didn't let go of her hand, instead, tugging Alex along with her to the closet, opening it and pulling out a thick sweater. "You have to let go of my hand to put that on, you know."

"I do, I just don't get enough time holding your hand. I mean, you're still working at the university, and I'm here most of the day alone, working on my manuscript or talking to patients. Not that I don't love what my life has become, since I retired from the BAU, but ever since we've become a we, well, there are moments when I wish that I could hold your hand more often."

"Well, hurry up and put your sweater on so that I can hold your hand once more." Erin nodded and put on the sweater as quickly as possible before slipping her feet into shoes and then taking hold of Alex's hand once more. "Are you ready to head out now?"

"I think so." Erin smiled up into her face, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear with her free hand. "I'm going to braid your hair when we get back."

Alex relaxed a little when she heard those words, thinking about how much she loved to feel Erin's fingers running through her hair. Still, though, she knew that she had to make it through their walk after she had suggested the activity to them. "Which braid are you going to do tonight?"

"I don't know, I'll have to see what my fingers want to do once we're back." Erin opened the door and they took off down the sidewalk after Alex had locked the door. She wasn't surprised that Erin didn't let go of her hand for the entire space of the walk, but she didn't mind the touch, since it was nice to hold her partner's hand after a long day in classes and meetings. "So, when are you publishing next?" she asked as they rounded the first corner, and Alex let out a little sigh of frustration. "What?"

"My research is not going as well as I would like, and it's frustrating me more than I've let you know. And before you say it, I did the same thing to James. Because it was easier to just try and figure things out on my own, rather than burden him or you with my very specific, very esoteric, issues. I'd rather talk to you about the bitchy freshman who thinks he knows everything about linguistics because he learned IPA in high school. Or the shy junior who is now in her fifth different class with me and so clearly has a crush on me."

"Oh, you haven't told me about her, darling. Should I be jealous?"

Alex let out a low chuckle as she shook her head. "No, I only have eyes for you. But Gillian is so earnest, Erin. She works harder than anyone else in my seminars, and takes time to pop into my office hours, and even though she hasn't said a word about it, I can see on her face that she's completely twitterpated with me. And I know that it's going to break her heart when I have to gently tell her that I can't oversee her capstone research paper."

"Why?"

"It wouldn't be appropriate or fair to her. I don't want to put her in a position that would potentially embarrass her, you know?"

"Well, how about I drop by the next seminar she's in, and follow you to your office? I'm certain other spouses do that sort of thing, yes?"

"They do, yes. But…"

"But?"

"I don't want to scare her away or embarrass her. Which I know, it sounds ridiculous, given what I did with the BAU. But there is something so different about being assertive with an unsub and smashing some sweet girl's heart to smithereens."

Erin stopped them just as they were about to turn the next corner and released Alex's hand. She frowned a little before letting out a soft sound of pleasure as Erin cupped her face with her hands, stroking one thumb against her cheek as she looked deep into her eyes. "We wouldn't do that, darling. This might be a gentler way to let her down, since you wouldn't have to say anything, we'd just let Gillian know that you're spoken for without having to have her embarrass herself."

She nodded a little before leaning forward and kissing Erin softly. "I can see that working, yes."

"Plus it will give me an excuse to take a break from the book. I'm hitting a bit of a wall on it, so it's time to take a step back for a day." Alex giggled before kissing her once more. "So, yes, I am using you to further my own ends."

"I have to keep my eye on you at all times, Erin Strauss!"

"Why would you ever take your eye off me, Alex Blake?" she said liltingly as she took hold of her hand once more. "Now, let's get home so that I can see about doing something with that luscious mane of yours." Alex nodded and tugged Erin closer to her side, allowing their hips to bump as they walked along home. The moment they were inside, Erin began to pull her over to the staircase before they even had a chance to remove their shoes, and Alex frowned a little as she shook her head. "What?"

"Shoes off!"

Erin rolled her eyes a little as she kicked them off into the corner and impatiently waited for Alex to do the same. "Are you ready now?"

"Yes, darling." Erin squeezed her hand as she brought her over to the staircase, and she followed after her, not really knowing what was going on until Erin turned them into the master bathroom. "All right, let's get you ready to relax."

Her partner finally let go of her hand, stepping over to the tub and starting the water before she turned back to Alex, a thoroughly carnal expression on her face. "There are times when I don't know what does through that brain of yours."

"What? I get to watch my beloved partner relax in the bath, and I get to play with her hair before we head in the bedroom and play with other parts." Erin closed the small distance between them and then slid her hand into Alex's hair, pulling her close and kissing her deeply as her other hand started to fumble with the buttons of her blouse. Alex returned the kiss with gusto, her own hands pushing Erin's away as she finished undoing the buttons and allowing the blouse to slip from her shoulders before undoing the fly on her trousers and allowing Erin to push them and her panties to the floor. "All right, into the tub with you," Erin purred as she flicked open her bra and pulled it from her body.

"Yes, ma'am," she replied as she stepped into the warm water, taking a seat and letting out a pleased breath, leaning her head back so that her hair spilled over the side of it, giving Erin easy access to it. Alex listened to Erin disrobe before she took a seat on the floor and then a low groan tumbled out of her mouth as Erin began to draw a brush through her hair, smoothing out all the snarls it had gotten during the day. Her fingers were nimble as they quickly created a side crown braid for Alex before spreading out her hands on Alex's shoulders and then slowly ran them down her chest until they were cupping her breasts. "You could just join me in here, too, Erin. That was the reason why we put such a large tub in the master bathroom."

"All right," Erin said as she slipped into the tub next to her, instantly letting her head come to rest on Alex's chest. "I love listening to your heart. There was a time when I didn't think I would ever hear anyone's heart ever again. I thought that John would win, and that I'd lose everything I'd fought so hard to rebuild. And now I'm turning maudlin. I'm sorry."

"Never be sorry for being honest with me, Erin. I know that it's been seven years since we found outside the hotel, five years since my world shattered and you helped me pick up the pieces. Three years since we decided that giving a relationship a second chance wouldn't blow up in our faces this time. And so far, it hasn't."

"I'm hoping that I don't fuck things up again. Because we both know that I'm good at that."

"But we've grown up in the last few decades, Erin. Who we are now is so much different than who we were back then, you know that."

Erin nodded a little as she snuggled a little closer to Alex. "I'm trying. There are just days like today where I feel…adrift. I don't know if that's a lingering effect of the MDMA that John injected into me, because it was a special cocktail of the drug, but I do know that my brain chemistry was affected because of it. And I hate that."

"That's why I'm here, to help guide you back to the sunshine of the world, when the shadows start to get a little long." Alex bent her head and pressed her lips to the top of Erin's head before sliding her hand down Erin's flank, cupping it around her hip. "Just like you do the same for me when the memories of James threaten to overwhelm me."

"I love it when you wax poetic about life, Lexie." Erin's words were a harsh whisper, telling Alex that she was rapidly sliding into a funk, and she knew that she had to avert that at all costs.

"So, tomorrow you'll come with me to campus, and you can either hang out in my office until it's time for the seminar that has Gillian in it, or you can explore campus and maybe get some inspiration for your book, or you could just tag along with me. The choice is yours."

"Exploring campus sounds like it might be best, since I really need to finish that manuscript. But I really want to stick to your side, too. I'll see how I'm feeling in the morning. Now, let's head to the bedroom, darling Lexie. I feel the distinct need to cuddle with you."

"Just cuddle? I don't get to have those wonderful hands of yours tease me to new heights of delight?" Alex teased as she gently pushed Erin away and stood up, pulling the plug on the tub so that it would start to drain. After climbing out, she held her hands towards Erin, smiling when she clasped them and joined her on the rug. But first, we need to dry off, so that I can get you a different kind of wet."

Alex was pleased to see Erin shiver with desire as she stepped away to grab two of their Turkish bath sheets, handing one to Erin before wrapping the other around her body. They made their way into the bedroom, and as Erin went over to her side of the bed, Alex watched her dry off before dropping the towel to the floor and climbing into the bed, pulling back the covers for them as she looked at Alex expectantly. "If you dawdle much longer, I'm going to fall asleep on you, and it's not ever nine yet."

Alex giggled as she dropped her own towel as she joined Erin, curving her body around Erin's as she splayed her hand out on her torso. "I love the feel of your skin, Erin. So soft, so warm," she breathed out as she pressed her lips against the shell of Erin's ear, nipping lightly as her fingers danced upwards, tickling the skin beneath her breasts. The guttural groan that tumbled from Erin's lips turned Alex on all the more, and she began to press large, sloppy, kisses down Erin's neck, taking care to pay attention to the places that she knew were sensitive for her partner. "And I love the noises you make when I'm pleasing you."

Erin tried to say something, but it just came out as a long moan as Alex fluttered her tongue across her nipple. Her partner arched her back upwards, and Alex chuckled as she drew the taut bud between her lips, sucking softly as her hands slipped down Erin's body once more. She spread her legs a little and Erin lifted her hips in clear invitation, allowing Alex unfettered access to her vulva. As she continued to lavish attention on Erin's breasts, Alex gently separated her labia and swiped her thumb against Erin's clit, eliciting another low groan from her lover. Carefully, she inserted two fingers into Erin's channel, sighing a little as she felt her tighten around her fingers, encouraging her to scissor and twist her fingers in the patterns that she knew Erin loved so much. "Lexie, please!" she cried out, and Alex nodded as she quickly built Erin up to orgasm, nuzzling her face into Erin's cleavage as their bodies pressed together. "Fuck, I always forget how good you are with your hands." Her words were punctuated by pants of breath, and Alex nodded as they snuggled together. "Give me a minute before I reciprocate?"

"Of course, love."

Erin sighed sweetly before kissing Alex's temple. "Turn onto your stomach, I can at least give you a massage while I get my second wind." Alex gave a slow nod as she complied. Within moments, Erin was straddling her body, her strong hands working out the kinks and knots that had been plaguing her all day. "Would you mind turning over now?" she asked as she splayed her hands out on Alex's hips. Carefully, she did as asked, only to gasp in surprise as Erin cupped her ass as she positioned herself between Alex's legs and began to eat her out. Erin's facile tongue teased at her core, and Alex felt herself coming apart with pleasure too quickly, but Erin still drove her towards that pinnacle until she was teetering on the brink. "I have you, you can come now."

Those sultry words were all Alex needed to release herself, and she heard her own cry of pleasure slip from her throat as Erin's fingers dug into her hips as she continued to lap at her clitoris, teasing a longer, fiercer, orgasm from her. As she finally came down off her high, her body fell back against the mattress and Erin slid up around her, wrapping her arms and a leg around Alex in a clear move of possession. "I love you, Erin."

"I love you, too," came the whispered reply. "Did you set your alarm yet?"

"Yeah. Do you want me to get us pyjamas?"

Erin shook her head. "I think that I can handle being a little cold tonight, darling, as long as it means that I get to snuggle up to you. But we need to pull the covers up around me soon, I'm certain you can feel the gooseflesh on my arms."

She nodded as she sat up a little, fishing for the sheets and quickly bringing them up to their chins as Erin settled back in close to her. "If you get too cold in the night, wake me up, and I'll get you a shirt or something."

"All right. So, before we both fall asleep, tell me a little more about Gillian, our little baby lesbian."

Alex burst into laughter as she began to stroke Erin's back. "We're possessive of her now?" Erin nodded. "I'm certain that Penelope would love to know that. But I will say that she's probably one of the brightest students I've had in a decade. I would love to work with her on her capstone research project, because I know what brilliance she'll come up with. And I know, too, that she's not as confident as she could be, because she doesn't really speak up in class, she chooses a seat closest to the wall, hugging it for dear life, even as she watches me so intently, and takes copious notes by hand, eschewing the laptops or tablets that most of her peers use. Gillian's gotten closer to the front with each class that she's taken with me, which is how I picked up on her crush. That, and the fact that she seriously began to dress to impress."

"Oh?"

"Yes. She's started to wear the most professional looking outfits, and I know that she's trying to impress. She'll make a wonderful partner to the right person someday. We just need to figure out how to redirect her attention from me to someone else." Erin nodded as she spread her hand out on Alex's chest, sighing a little as she made herself more comfortable.

"Yes, that is most definitely the signs of a major crush, Lexie." Erin yawned a little as she rubbed her cheek against Alex's breast. "I'm so sorry, but I'm a little tired this evening. Forgive me if I fall asleep?"

"Of course, Erin."

"And tell me a story? A happy story about Ethan?"

"Of course," Alex replied as she began to card her fingers through Erin's hair. "He was a beautiful baby. I think that I showed you pictures of him, when, before, well, you know." She hated fumbling for words like that, but she also hated thinking about that time, since it was so painful for both of them. "There were some good days, towards the end, but I think that was perhaps things that I deliberately read into the situation. Anyway, you wanted happy. So I'll tell you about when we brought him home from the hospital." She settled into the mattress, continuing to comb Erin's hair as she spoke about those magical first few days with her son until they were both fast asleep.

She woke up the next morning to Erin's breasts in her face as she reached over to turn off the alarm. "Would you mind starting breakfast while I shower this morning? Since you took a bath last night, you don't really need to wash again this morning."

Alex nodded as they clambered out of bed, and she couldn't keep her eyes off Erin's ass as she went into the master bathroom. Taking a deep breath, she cracked her back before heading over to the closet and choosing outfits for their day. She didn't want them to be too matchy matchy, but she still wanted to send a subtle signal that they were a couple. Finally, with their outfits chosen, she went into the bathroom, taking care of her morning routine before dressing and heading downstairs. Thankfully, her hair still looked nice, and she credited Erin's handiwork as she poured them cereal, setting it on the table as she started the coffee maker and then poured a glass of juice for Erin.

"Finally," she said as she heard Erin's footsteps behind her. Turning, she went to hand Erin her juice, only to have her hands tighten around the glass when she saw her. Rather than her normal, neutral, lip color, her partner was wearing a deep red on her lips. It made her eyes look impossibly blue, and all Alex could do was focus on them as she swallowed thickly. "Good morning."

"I'm glad to have made that sort of impression, Lexie. I take it you like my makeup?" She nodded. "Good. Though I'll refrain from kissing you, since I don't want to leave a lip print on your cheek and cause your coworkers to gossip about you."

Alex laughed as they took a seat at the table, quickly eating. There wasn't much to say that morning, since it seemed like everything had been said the previous evening. "I'll do the dishes, if you want to fill our mugs?"

"Okay," Erin replied as she got up from the table and went over to the coffee maker. Alex took a deep breath as she collected their dishes, rinsing them out before putting them in the dishwasher and then starting it, knowing that they could let it run while they were gone. "All right, I'm ready to go. Make certain you drive slow enough so that I can reapply my lipstick before we arrive on campus."

Alex rolled her eyes a little before leaning in and kissing Erin's cheek softly. "Maybe I wanted to do that while you drove?"

"Or maybe we could take the bus?" Alex crinkled up her nose as she shook her head. "Then you're okay with driving?"

"You know exactly how to get what you want, and I am still falling for it," she said a bit snarkily, and Erin just gave her that maddeningly endearing smile, the one that Alex could never say no to, and she shook her head as she leaned in to kiss her softly. It was a struggle not to deepen the kiss, since they were on a schedule, and she sighed as she pulled away from her partner, seeing the dazed smile on her lips. "Well, I suppose it's not the worst thing in the world to have to drive you around."

"This is very true," Erin said as she took hold of Alex's hand. They made their way out into the garage, and the only reason Erin let go of her hand was to climb into the passenger seat. "Sorry, I'm just a little fragile this morning, behind the war paint. Because I was thinking in the shower about Gillian, and how you're right, we don't want to hurt her. Even if I am wearing siren red lipstick."

"It's okay to be conflicted about things in life. And I think that this bothering you tells me that we're going to handle this just fine. I trust you to be kind. Because you have chosen kindness so many times since I rejoined the BAU. Even if it was only for three years."

"They were a good three years. Even if I was only your supervisor for one of those years." Erin looked over at her, giving Alex ae mirrow and slipping it back into her purse. tender smile before fastening her belt as they backed out of the garage. Erin used that time to reapply her lipstick before shaking out her hair and then closing the mirror and slipping it back into her purse. "There, now I feel a little more confident."

"Good. Now, have you decided what you're going to do until eleven?"

Erin nodded as gazed at Alex. "I am going to walk around the campus, and might pop into the library. I noticed that they have a rare books room, and I think that I'll take a look at what you have on campus. It might spark some creativity in me."

"That's a great plan, Erin. Just don't lose track of time, since I know that's so easy for you to do."

Erin chuckled as she nodded. "Don't worry, I set a time on my phone, so I'll get to your seminar right on time. And I've already looked up on the map where your building is in comparison to the library. I'll see you at ten minutes to the hour."

Alex gave her a small wink before turning up the radio and singing along to the current song. She was a little surprised when Erin joined in, since this wasn't normally her type of music. They sang together for the majority of the ride in, and when they parked, Alex leaned in and kissed her cheek softly. "I will see you in a few hours, my love." Erin nodded before slipping out of the car and making her way towards the library.

The three hours before her seminar seemed to fly by, as there were a number of emails that she had to respond to, along with finally getting a little work done on her latest article that needed to be done soon. It was only when her alarm went off on her phone that she looked up from her keyboard, shaking her shoulders out a little before rising to her feet and grabbing her notes for the seminar. Upon exiting her office, she was unsurprised to find Erin already there, a fresh coat of lipstick on her face. What did surprise her was the fact that she was carrying out a conversation with Gillian. They both looked up at her as she closed her door, and her partner smiled sweetly as she rose to her feet.

"I'm so sorry, Gillian, I used up all your time to talk to Alex."

"That's okay, Erin. It was great getting to talk to you. Doctor Blake, do you mind if I walk with you to class? I do have a few questions about today's readings, and I'd like to have some clarification before we get down to learning?"

Alex gave Erin a quick look, watching her shrug before giving a small shake of her head. "That would be fine, especially since we're all headed to the same place." Gillian gave her a tiny, confused, look before her sunny smile returned. Giving Alex a small nod, Gillian started to head down the hall towards the doors, and Alex sighed as she held out her hand for Erin. There was only a split second before her hand slipped into Alex's, and then they were following after Gillian. "You didn't tell her?"

"I didn't have the heart to, Lexie. She's just so sweet. So, I'm hoping that our holding hands will clue her in?" Alex nodded as she gave her a tender smile, adjusting their hold so that their fingers were threaded together, anchoring Erin to her side. Gillian turned her head back to look for them as they exited the building, and Alex watched the young woman's eyes widen ever so slightly at the sight of their hand holding. And then a sad smile spread across her face as she paused to wait for them to catch up.

"I didn't realise that you had a wife, Doctor Blake."

"Partner, we've not decided to marry yet. But yes, we've been together for a few years now. I'm sorry, I couldn't think of a way to let you know that I knew besides this. And I really hope that this will not affect your passion for linguistics, because you truly are one of the best students that I've had in years."

"As long as I can work on my capstone research project with you, I think that I'll be fine. It will just take me a few days to wrap my mind around this new facet to you." Alex nodded, squeezing Erin's hand a few times in thanks. "So, did you work for the FBI, too, Erin?"

"I did, yes. I was Alex's supervisor, once upon a time, though we didn't get together until after we had both left. I'm certain that if you search for our names in conjunction with the BAU, you'll discover why I left, but that's a story I don't tell to anyone, any longer. It's the past, and I want to keep it that way. Though Lexie might tell you a little more of the details if you ask nicely." Erin stepped closer to Alex, letting their shoulders knock together as they went along to the correct building.

"We all have stories like that, Erin. So, not to completely change the subject, but I probably should, I want to discuss the morphology of written texts as found in…" As Gillian went into her question, Alex found her attention divided between her student and her love, knowing that this was the best outcome she could have wished for and eternally grateful that Erin's heart was now so soft, nearly rivaling the softness of her hands. And maybe Gillian had a good idea, maybe it was time to make things a little more permanent between herself and Erin. But that would be a discussion for another day.


End file.
